Thread forming apparatus



p l 1941- c. E. HAHN arm. 1 2237.130

- THREAD- EORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 7, 19:58 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors:

- Clarence E. Hahn,

Oscar A. Boyer,

' Th e'rr- Attorney.

April 1,- 1941.

C. E. HAHN ETAL.

THREAD FORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 7, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 c/ 1 4-64 63 e s Ihvent ors:

: Cl arence E, Hahn, Oscar A. Boyer,

April 1941- c. E. HAHN arm. 2.237.180

' THREAD FORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. '7', 1938 a Shceis-Sheet 3 Invntorsr Clarence E, Hahn, Oscar A. Boyer;

T eir Attorney.

Patented Apr. 1, 1941 THREAD FORMING APPARATUS Clarence E. Hahn, Euclid, and Oscar A. Boyer,

East Cleveland, Ohio, assignors toGeneral Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 7, 1938, Serial No. 244,414

6 Claims.

vide apparatus for threading metal shells of this nature more rapidly and economically than heretofore. Another object of our invention is toprovide a machine for threading the metal shells more accurately and uniformly than heretofore. Still another object of our invention is to provide .a machine of this type which is less subject to wear and breakage. Other objects and advantages of the machineof our invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and the accompanying drawings thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shell -threading machine comprising our invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the machine showing the metal shells as they are being :fed into the machine; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the machine along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the turret and thread forming portions of the machine along the line 4-4 of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of means for unloading the threaded metal shells from the machine.

The threading machine comprising our invention, as shown in the drawings, roll threads in the sides of the cylindrical metal shells I!) which are introduced thereinto, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, through the channel formed by the bracket ll (only partially shown) and the bar i 2. The metal shells H1 in this instance are those used for lamp bases and are, in general, cylindrical with one end completely open and theopposite upper end rounded off or inwardly flanged with a somewhat smaller opening therein; Because of the smaller opening in one end of the shells and the necessity of positioning the threads thereon, they all must be similarly orientated in the channel. The shells ID are pushed through the channel by the feeding means (not shown) which introduces them into said channel, and are kept from bunching up and climbing over each other by a bar I3 mounted directly thereabove.

The open ends of the shells rest on the plate It until they advance onto the clockwise rotating disc l5 which then advances them further along the channel.

The disc I5 is one part of a feeding mechanism of the threading machine which brings the shells it! separately into alignment with the spindles !6 of the constantly rotating turret l1 and then causes them to be placed over the end thereof. The said disc l5, as shown in Fig. 3, is mounted on the hub H! which is fastened to the upper end of the shaft IS which in turn is mounted on the ball bearings 29 and 2| held by'a separated top portion 22 of the frame of the machine directly over the'center of the turret [1. The motion of the disc l5 carries the shells against the periphery of the ring or spider 23 and into the pockets 24 thereof which are only large enough to accommodate a single shell so that the shells are carried away one at a time as the ring is turned in a clockwise direction. The said ring 23 is attached to and turned by the turret 25 which is fastened to the shaft 26 which in turn is mounted in the ball bearings 21 and 28 carried by the frame portion 22. During the movement of the ring 23, the shells ID are carried off the disc l5 and onto the lip 29 of the bracket II, the main body portion 'of which blocks off the remaining shells in the channel and prevents more than the single shell contained wholly within the pocket 24 from being fed from said channel.

The rotative motion of the ring 23 advances the shells l0 along the lip 29 until they are brought into engagement with the finger 3i] and are carried beyond the edge of said lip 29. At this time, the higher speed of rotation of the ring 23 brings the pockets 24, in which the shells are contained, in alignment with the spindles l6 of the turret ll, whereupon the plungers 3| are caused to move down and force the shells onto the upper ends of the spindles H5. The proper transfer of the shells from the pockets 24 to the spindles I 6 depends to a large extent on the proper alignment of the shells therewith and therefore depends upon the finger 30 which is pivoted on the screw 32 extending from the bracket ll and which presses said shells back into the deepest portion of the pocket 24. The finger 30 is kept against one of 1 the shells 10 at all times by the expanding force of the spring 33 which is located between the end of said finger 30 and the screw 3i carried by bracket II.

ment of the finger so that it does not strike the ring 23 when there are no shells in the pockets 24 adjacent thereto. The walls of the pockets 24 align the shells lb properly with the spindles l6 turret 25, the latter of Whichis engaged through the ball bearing 38, and is held in a fixed position by the arm 39 (Fig. 1) which is attached thereto and to the frame portion 22 by means of the stud 4i and the thumb nut 40'. As the plunger 3| is about to be moved down, the heads 3| thereof pass under the leaf spring M which extends from the outer end of the arm 42 and is bent upward The stop screw limits the move thereby. As the plunger 3| moves down, the spring 4| straightens out to the position shown in Fig. 3. If a distorted or defective shell In which will not pass over the end of the spindle H3 is carried. into position above said spindle I6, it is carried by the ring 23 to one side thereof and drops down out of the way.

During the continuing rotative movement of the turret 25, the head 3 of the plunger 3| again comes into contact with the cam 31 which is now inclined upward and raises the plunger 3| so that the lower end is lifted from the shell Won the spindle I6 and reaches its upper limit of movement before a shell is again fed into position below it. The necessary rotative motion is produced in the disc I and the turret by the movement of the spindle carrying turret I! which, as shown in Fig. 4, is provided with a gear 43 at its hub which meshes with the gear 44 shown in Fig. 3 intermediate the gears 45 and 46 on the shafts I9 and 26 respectively. The gear 44 is mounted on the shaft 41 which is supported by the ball bearings 48 and 49 carried by the frame portion 22. As shown in Fig. 4, theframe portion 22 is mounted on the top end of a hollow post 50 extending upward from the top surface of the frame 5| proper of the, threading machine and'extends out over the turret IT.

The movement of the turret I1 occurs at a uniform rate in a clockwise direction and advances the spindles IE, on which the shells l0 have been placed by the feeding mechanism of the machine, to a position under the shoe 52 and adjacent the semi-circular thread-forming die 53. This rotative motion of the turret I] is caused by means not shown, preferably an electric motor and some form of speed reducer which engage the ring gear 54 carried by said turret |1 through the gear 55 on the shaft 56. The shaft 58is held in bearings, one of which is shown at 51, carried by the top of the frame 5| which keeps it in position.

The segmental die 53 provides the means of rolling the threads into the shells I0 and is provided on its face adjacent the spindle IS with threads which are pressed into the shell l0 thereon as it rolls around the arcuate threaded surface thereof. The threads in the die 53 have substantially the same form as those provided in the upper end 58 of the spindles |6 within the shells l0 and the same angularity although they must be left handedwhen the threads in the shell are right handed. The spindle l6, as shown, is carried by the ball bearings 59 and 60 and held by the turret l1 and is rotated by the engagement of the gear 6| on the lower end thereof with the ring gear 62 attached to the top of the frame 5|. The pitch diameter of thegear 6| is equal to that of the threads on the upper end 58 of the spindle l3 and causes the shell It] to roll on the die 53 and to be bent to the shape of said threads. The collar 64 andthe split cone 63 enable the spindle IE to be rotatably adjusted relatively to gear 6| so that the threads on the upper end 58 and those on the die 53 can be matched at the assembly of the machine.

Although the threads in both the die 53 and spindle I8 are of full depth, the formation of the threads in the shell I0 takes place very gradually as the die 53 is slightly more curved than the path of movement of the inside edge of the shell |0- and engages the shell I0 fully only at its midpoint. The die 53 is fastened to the frame portion 22 and is capable of being adjusted both in and out and vertically; in the former manner by the adjusting screws 65 along the inside face and the ends, and in the latter manner by the threaded bushings 86 located at intervals therealong. The bushings 66 rest against the frame portion 22 and hold the die 53 in the desired position when the bolts 61 extending therethrough are tightened down.

Because the relative position of the die 53 and the spindles l6 must remain constant, additional support is provided for the side of the frame portion 22 adjacent the die 53 by the pair of brackets 68 which are bolted to the frame 5| and to said frame portion 22 through the bolts 69. Holes in the die 53 allow the bolts 69 to extend therethrough. Additional support is also provided the turret IT at the rim by a plurality of ball bearings 10 (only one of which shows in Fig. 4) which are mounted on a stud ll carried by block 12 mounted on the frame 5| of the machine.

The rotative motion of the turret I1 is also used to actuate an oil pump 13 which forces the lubricating oil to the various parts of the machine. The pump 13 comprises the piston 14 which is located in a well in the frame 5| and which engages the cam surface 15 on the bottom of the turret IT. The rotation of the turret I! carries raised portions of said cam surface 15 against the head of the piston 14 which is thereby forced down in the well in the frame 5| and in the opening in the cap 16 over the lower end thereof, so that the oil contained within the opening in the cap 15 is forced out the pipe 11. The return upward motion of the piston 14, which causes the oil to be sucked up into the opening in the cap -16 from the pipe 18, is caused by the expansion of the spring 19. The check valves and 8| in the pipe lines TI and I8 prevent the oil from flowing in the opposite direction and destroying the pumping action of the piston 14.

Since there is a possibility of the shell l0 shifting on the spindle l6 sothat the threads will not .be true to pitch or correctly positioned thereon,

said shells l0 are held down by the shoe 52 which extends over said shells for substantially their full path of travel adjacent the die 53. The shoe 52 is supported by a plurality of studs 82 which extend up through the end of the brackets 83 mounted on the frame portion 22 and is separated from said brackets 83 by the coiled springs 84.

Following the gradual withdrawal of the threads on the die 53 from those formed in the shells l0, said shells are advanced into an unloading position at which they are engaged by the rapidly moving periphery of the leather wheel 85. The wheel. 85 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 is attached to the drive shaft 86 of an electric motor 81 and is turned in a, direction causing the shells l0 to be rotated and unscrewed from the threads on the upper portion 58 of the spindle IS. The speed with which the shells I0 leave the spindles I6 is sufficient to carry them upward into the tube 88 where a blast of air from the nozzle 88 blows them sideward into the main portion thereof which carries them to a receptacle (not shown) below the opening in the lower end thereof. In order to permit the position of the wheel 85 to be adjusted, the motor 81 is mounted on a, slide 90 in ways in the bracket 9| which is mounted on the frame 5|. Adjustment of the position of the slide 90 is accomplished by rotating the thumb wheel on the end of the screw screws in and out of said slide 90.

arcuate plates 93 which rest on the raised ridge 94 path, a segmental die member having a threaded face located adjacent said path, said die face being located at the inside of said path and being of greater curvature throughout its length than the adjacent portion of said path so that its ends are spaced slightly farther therefrom than its mid-section so that during movement of said spindle therealong the said die face is engaged by the side walls of said shell with varying pressure, and means for rotating said spindle during said movement to cause the shell to engage and roll the face of said die so that the side Walls of the shell are gradually pressed into the threads of the spindle.

2. Apparatus for rolling threads in a metal shell comprising a, threaded spindle arranged to receive the metal shell, a turret for supporting said spindle and moving it along a definite path, a die member having a. threaded face located adjacent said path and arranged to be engaged by the side of the shell during its movement therealong, means for rotating said spindle during said movement to cause the shell to engage and roll along the face of said die so that the side Walls of the shell are pressed into the threads of the spindle, and means for rotating the shell separately from said spindle in a direction causing said shell to be unscrewed and separated therefrom.

3. Apparatus for rolling threads in a metal shell comprising a plurality of spindles each arranged to support one of said metal shells, a circular turret for supporting said spindles at regu-v lar spaced intervals adjacent its periphery, a circular rotatable member having pockets therein adapted to hold single shells, said rotatable member being of smaller diameter than saidturret and being mounted eccentrically thereto so that the circular line of movement of its pockets intersects the path of movement of said spindles at a given point, means for rotating the said turret and operating said circular rotatable member in proper time relation thereto to bring the said pockets over a spindleat said point of intersection, means for transferring the shells from said pockets to spindles at said point of intersection, a die member having a threaded face located adjacent the path of movement of said spindles in position to be engaged by the sides of the shells during the rotation of said turret, and means for rotating said spindles while they are adjacent said die member to cause the shells to engage and roll along the face of said die so that the side walls of the shells are pressed into the threads of the spindle.

4. Apparatus for rolling threads in a metal shell comprising a plurality of spindles each arranged to support one of said metal shells, a circular turret for supporting said spindles at regular spaced intervals adjacent its periphery, a circular rotatable member having pockets in its periphery adapted to hold single shells, said rotatable member being of smaller diameter than said turret and being mounted eccentrically thereto so that the circular line of movement of its pockets intersects the path of movement of the spindles, means for rotating said turret and said circular rotatable member in proper time relation to each other to bring the said pockets over said spindles at a given point, plungers mounted above said pockets, means for causing a plunger at said point of intersection to move into its corresponding pocket to push the shell therein onto a spindle when they are aligned, a die member having a threaded face located adjacent the path of movement of said spindles and in position to be engaged by the sides of the shells during the rotation of the said turret, and means for rotating said spindles while they are adjacent said die member to cause the shells to engage and roll along the face of said die so that the side walls of the shells are pressed into the threads of said spindles.

5. Apparatus for rolling threads in a metal shell comprising a plurality of spindles each arranged to support one of said metal shells, a turret for supporting said spindles at regular spaced intervals adjacent its periphery, feeder means having pockets therein adapted to hold single shells and movable in a direction intersecting the path of movement of said spindles, a channel arranged to conduct the shells to said feeder means, a rotatable disc located below said channel and the adjacent part of said feeder means arranged to support and advance the shells into the pockets of said feeder means as rapidly as they are presented to the end of the channel, means for rotating said turret and operating said feeder means in proper time relation thereto to bring the said pockets over said spindles at said intersection, means for transferring the shells from said pockets to said spindles when they are aligned, a die member having a threaded face located adjacent the path of movement of said spindles and in position to be engaged by the sides of the shells during the rotation of the said turret, and means for rotating said spindles while they are adjacent the said die member to cause the shells to engage and roll along the face of said die so that the side walls of the shells are pressed intothe threads of said spindles.

6. Apparatus for rolling threads in a metal shell comprising a threaded spindle over which the metal shell is placed, a stationary center post, a horizontal turret rotatable on said post for supporting said spindle and moving it along a definite path, supporting frame means for said turret secured to said post and engaging the center portion and the rim of said turret, a horizontal die member having a threaded face located above said turret and adjacent the path of movement of said spindle and arranged to be engaged by the side of the shell during said movement of the spindle, means for supporting said die extending outward from said post over said turret, and additional die-supporting means extending over the path of movement of said spindle from the periphery of said first-mentioned supporting frame'means, and means for rotating said spindle during said movement to cause the shell to engage and roll along the face of said die so that the side Walls of the shell are pressed into the threads of said spindle.

CLARENCE E. HAHN. OSCAR A. BOYER. 

